Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/317923 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Business Ethics [ISSN:] 1573-0697 [Volume:] 192 [Issue:] 4 [Publisher:] Springer Netherlands [Place:] Dordrecht [Year:] 2023 [Pages:] 729-744
Publisher: 
Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht
Abstract: 
Multinational corporations (MNCs) are increasingly judged not only on their own social impacts but also on those of their supply chain partners. To reduce this environmental dependence, many MNCs implement social evaluations and codes of conduct which suppliers must follow. But how do MNCs legitimise and implement social evaluations in their supply chains? To address this, we draw on and augment resource dependence and legitimacy theories, to analyse a multinational grocery retailer’s implementation of labour standards for its fruit and vegetable suppliers. The case study utilises interviews, analysis of a database of audits, internal documents, and observational data. It provides the basis for theorizing corporate reputation as a resource dependency, with social evaluations a distinct means to co-opt external actors to preserve the focal organization’s autonomy while reducing environmental contingencies. The legitimacy of social evaluations of supply chain partners depends on processes that reconcile both moral and pragmatic concerns, allowing the focal organization to mitigate resource dependencies without ceding control over enforcement and enabling actions.
Subjects: 
Multinational organizations
Resource dependency theory
Social evaluation
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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